CO-CHAIRS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP SUPPORTS PROMPT INVOLVEMENT OF KARABAKH AS A FULL-VALUE SIDE OF TALKS

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 17 2008

The mediators of the OSCE Minsk Group supports the prompt involvement
of Karabakh as a full-value side, in the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement, said Bernard Fassier, the French Co-chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group, on 17 January in Yerevan, Novosti Armenia reports.

"As soon as Karabakh is involved in the negotiation process as one
of the negotiation sides, better it is. Especially, the position of
the head of ‘ Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’ testifies that it is fully
aware of the negotiation process," Fassier said.

He stated that removal of ‘NKR’ from the talks was not decided by
the co-chairs. "Before Robert Kocharyan’s coming into the power,
Karabakh was one of the negotiation sides, but after his election
as the president of Armenia, it was decided that Armenia may better
present the position of Karabakh," Fassier said.

Answering the question regarding the possibility of changing the
format of the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement after
the presidential elections in Armenia, especially after Kocharyan
not nominate for the third term, Fassier replied that this issue will
not be decided by the co-chairs, but by the Armenian side.

The Co-chair stated that Khankendi’s participation in the negotiation
process is desirable, but the time will show how this issue will be
decided because according to him, currently it is difficult to involve
‘NKR’ as a negotiable side in the negotiation process.

Speaking about the issue, whether Azerbaijan will protest against
Karabakh’s participation in the talks, Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian
Co-chair of the Minsk Group, said that yet mediators do not glance
at this possibility so far and intend to resolve the problem gradually.

"At present, all the sides agree with the base principles on which we
are working, so we do not consider it necessary to change the format
of the talks at the current stage. However, while devising a closing
agreement, ‘NKR’ will have to participate in the talks because all
the key items of the agreement will directly deal with Karabakh,"
Merzlyakov said.

In addition, he stated that it does not mean that ‘NKR’ will be
involved in the talks at the concluding stage because devising the
concluding agreement will be more difficult and longer process. "I
am not pessimistic in this process," the Co-chair said.